International Journal of Surgical Oncology
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International Journal of Surgical Oncology publishes original research articles and review articles in all areas of surgical oncology.

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International Journal of Surgical Oncology maintains an Editorial Board of practicing researchers from around the world, to ensure manuscripts are handled by editors who are experts in the field of study.

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Research Article

Total Mesorectal Excision with or without Lateral Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection in Rectal Cancer

Backgrounds and Aims. The benefit of lateral pelvic lymph node dissection (LPLD) for rectal cancer remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of local recurrence between patients who underwent total mesorectal excision (TME) with and without LPLD in rectal cancer. Patients and Methods. The study was conducted on 92 patients presenting with extraperitoneal rectal cancer (T3 and T4) in the colorectal department at our hospital. Patients were divided into two groups: Group A was subjected to total mesorectal excision (TME) after neoadjuvant chemoradiation and Group B was subjected to TME with LPLD with autonomic nerve preservation. Patients were followed up for the incidence of local recurrence, distant recurrence, and urinary and sexual dysfunctions. Results. Incidence of local recurrence was slightly higher in Group A (8.7%) than in Group B (4.3%) but was not statistically significant. There was no statistical significance between both groups regarding distant metastasis (8.7% in Group A and 13% in Group B). Urinary and sexual dysfunctions were higher in Group B (26.1%) compared to those in Group A (21.7%) but were not statistically significant. The incidence of lateral pelvic lymph node metastasis was 30.4%. Also, intraoperative blood loss was higher and operative time was longer in Group B which was statistically significant ( value <0.001). Conclusion. Our conclusion was that prophylactic addition of LPLD to TME was not associated with a statistically significant decrease in the risk of local recurrence or distant metastasis in patients with rectal cancer, although it was numerically better. LPLD is associated with longer operative time and higher intraoperative blood loss.

Research Article

The Beneficial Impact of Intraoperative Ultrasound on Resection Margin Status during Breast Conserving Surgery

Background. Surgical resection with clear surgical cut margins is the mainstay of managing malignant breast neoplasms. Multiple techniques have been suggested to enhance resection status during breast-conserving surgery (BCS), including intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS). Herein, we conducted the current investigation to reveal the benefit of IOUS on the achievement of R0 resection. Patients and Methods. This retrospective investigation included 140 patients who underwent BCS. They were divided into two groups: the IOUS group (40 cases) and the control group (100 cases). Our primary objective was to determine the free resection margin status (R0). Results. Both study groups expressed statistically comparable demographic and clinical data. Additionally, histopathological examination revealed no significant difference between the two groups regarding the tumor type, stage, or grade. Nonetheless, the R0 resection margin was more frequently encountered in association with IOUS application (97.5% compared to 79% in the control group), and that difference was statistically significant (). Conclusion. The application of IOUS has a significant beneficial impact on the outcomes of BCS. It is associated with a marked decline in positive resection margins, and its application should be encouraged in the breast oncological practice.

Research Article

Incidence and Risk Factors of Thyroid Malignancy in Patients with Toxic Nodular Goiter

Background. Although hyperfunctioning thyroid disorders were thought to be protective against malignancy, some recent studies reported a high incidence of incidentally discovered cancer in patients with hyperfunctioning benign thyroid disorders. We performed this study to estimate the incidence and predictors of malignant thyroid disease in patients with toxic nodular goiter (TNG). Patients and Methods. The data of 98 patients diagnosed with TNG were reviewed (including toxic multinodular goiter SMNG and single toxic nodule STN). The collected data included patients age, gender, systemic comorbidities, family history of thyroid malignancy, previous neck radiation, type of disease (multinodular or single), size of the dominant nodule by the US, operative time, and detection of significant lymph nodes during operation. Based on the histopathological analysis, the cases were allocated into benign and malignant groups. Results. Malignancy was detected in 21 patients (21.43%). Although age distribution was comparable between the two groups, males showed a significant increase in association with malignancy. Medical comorbidities and family history of cancer did not differ between the two groups. However, TMNG showed a statistically higher prevalence in the malignant group. Operative data, including operative time and lymph node detection, were comparable between the two groups. On regression analysis, both male gender and TMNG were significant predictors of malignancy. Conclusion. The presence of thyroid hyperfunction is not a protective factor against malignancy, as malignancy was detected in about 1/5 of cases. Male gender and TMNG were significant risk factors of malignancy in such patients.

Research Article

Assessment of Quality of Life (QoL) of Colorectal Cancer Patients using QLQ-30 and QLQ-CR 29 at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Objective. We aimed to assess the quality of life (QoL) and its predictors in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah. Methods. A total of 118 CRC patients at King Abdulaziz Medical City, a tertiary hospital in Jeddah, participated in this study. The participants were provided with the online questionnaire via WhatsApp by trained researchers and data collectors in February 2021. All participants were required to answer the three-section questionnaire comprising of (a) demographic data and a validated Arabic version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life questionnaires, (b) a general version (QLQ-30), and (c) a CRC-specific version (QLQ-CR29). Results. Statistical analysis revealed that the most common comorbidity among the participants was diabetes mellitus (42.4%). In addition, the mean global health status was 63.91 ± 24.75. For the global health tool QLQ-C30, results exhibited that physical functioning [62.94 (30.04)] and social functioning [63.56 (31.95)] scored below the threshold, while the cognitive functioning scale scored the highest [74.86 (25.11)]. In addition, on the QLQ-C30 scales, fatigue and insomnia were distressing, with fatigue scoring the highest. For the disease-specific tool QLQ-CR29, it was found that for the symptom scale, urinary frequency and embarrassment scored the highest. Conclusion. The participants reported high global quality of life on both the EORTC QLQ-30 and QLQ-CR29 scales. This study identifies the factors and predictors that affect the quality of life of CRC patients in Saudi Arabia. Recognizing these factors and predictors may empower those patients to maintain positive perception towards the impact of colorectal cancer and improve their survival.

Research Article

High CD44 Immunoexpression Correlates with Poor Overall Survival: Assessing the Role of Cancer Stem Cell Markers in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients from the High-Risk Population of Pakistan

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a top-ranked cancer in the Pakistani population, and patient survival has remained unchanged at ∼50% for several decades. Recent advances have claimed that a subset of tumour cells, called cancer stem cells (CSCs), are responsible for tumour progression, treatment resistance, and metastasis, which leads to a poor prognosis. This study investigated the impact of CSC markers expression on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of OSCC patients. Materials and Methods. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate CD44, CD133, L1CAM, and SOX2 expression in a well-characterized cohort of 100 Pakistani patients with primary treatment naïve OSCC. The immunoreactivity for each marker was correlated with patient clinicopathologic characteristics, oral cancer risk chewing habits, and survival. The minimum follow-up time for all patients was five years, and survival estimates were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. Results. In this cohort of 100 patients, there were 57 males and 43 females. The median OS and DFS time durations observed were 64 and 52.5 months, respectively. Positive expression for CD44, CD133, L1CAM, and SOX2 was observed in 33%, 23%, 41%, and 63% of patients. High CD44 expression correlated with decreased OS () but did not influence DFS. However, CD133, L1CAM, and SOX2 had no effect on either OS or DFS. Tonsils, nodal involvement, and AJCC stage were independent predictors of worse OS and DFS both. Conclusion. Of the CSC markers investigated here, only CD44 was a predictor for poor OS. CD44 was also associated with advanced AJCC and T stages. Interestingly, CD133 was significantly lower in patients who habitually consumed oral cancer risk factors.

Research Article

Prognostic Impact of Tumor Budding on Moroccan Colon Cancer Patients

Background. Tumor budding is now emerging as one of the robust and promising histological factors that play an important role in colon cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between tumor budding and tumor clinicopathological factors, tumor molecular signature, and patient survival for the first time in a Moroccan population. Methods. We collected data of 100 patients operated from colon adenocarcinoma. Tumor budding was assessed on HES slides, according to the International Tumor Budding Consensus Conference 2016 recommendations. The expression of MMR proteins was performed by immunohistochemistry. KRAS and NRAS mutations testing was performed by Sanger sequencing and pyrosequencing. Results. High tumor budding grade (BUD 3) was found to be significantly associated with adverse clinicopathological features including older age (), presence of perineural invasion (), presence of vascular invasion (), distant metastases (), advanced TNM stage (), the occurrence of relapse (), and the high number of deceased cases (). Interestingly, we found that tumors with high-grade tumor budding were more likely to be microsatellite stable (MSS) () and harbor more KRAS mutations (). Tumors with high-grade tumor budding were strongly associated with KRAS G12D mutation (). In all stages, high tumor budding was correlated with poorer overall survival () and decreased relapse-free survival with a difference close to significance ((). We concluded that high tumor budding was strongly associated with unfavorable clinicopathological features and special molecular biomarkers and effectively affects the overall survival of CC patients. Conclusions. Based on these findings and the ITBCC group recommendations, tumor budding should be taken into account along with other clinicopathologic factors in the risk assessment of colorectal cancer.

International Journal of Surgical Oncology
 Journal metrics
See full report
Acceptance rate-
Submission to final decision-
Acceptance to publication-
CiteScore2.500
Journal Citation Indicator0.280
Impact Factor1.5
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